Thank you for being such a good example to us all ...
(You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to stop the music)
Also, My friend, Elise Soukup, writes for Newsweek and this is an article she wrote on the future of the church.
Yesterday was Shae's birthday. We weren't able to go to the party but we were kind of dissapointed to hear that she only nibbled at her cake ... we were hoping she would put her face in it. Shae is the cutist little girl, she's loves to say hi, dance to grandma's loud music, pull funny faces at the camera and is bravely walking from one standing object to the next. We loved seeing her at Christmas and we can't wait till we get to see her again. Each time we see her she has grown and her little personality is more developed. We can't wait for the day when she will get to talk to us over the phone. We love you Shae!!
I know Christmas and New Year's have already come and gone and I'm way behind on the posting but I'm starting my new year's resolutions a little late this year, so lets hope I can do better. After going home and talking with family and friends I realized that a lot of you check our blog you just never comment. So I will try to do a better job for all of you silent stalkers out there.
Our Christmas was wonderful. Jason turned in his last final the day before we left so on Friday we were able to enjoy the lights of the city before we headed out of town. After a long day of flying (remind me never to book a flight with layovers again) we arrived in Utah to a beautiful winter wonderland. Last year when we went home there was no snow and I felt a little cheated. It snows in New York but after the fifty million cabs drive through it it just doesn't look as nice. So this year I was so happy to see Utah the way it should be at Christmas.
We spent Christmas eve and Christmas day going back and forth between families. We are so grateful they all live so close so we can enjoy the special day with everyone. The highlights of Christmas this year was watching Shea open all of her presents from grandpa and grandma (3/4 of the presents under the tree were hers), the Wii was a HUGE hit and worth the pain of having to lug it from NY to Utah and back again and Nicole and Josh's wedding. Unfortunately we had a little scare when grandpa Larry had a heart attack the day after Nicole's wedding but we were all so glad that we were able to be there for him and happy to hear that the recovery is going well.
Now I know the real reason everyone checks the blog is to see the pictures and this year I took a bunch ... enjoy!!
Grandpa and Shea
Shea pulling a funny face while riding her new zebra
The boys playing a mean game of Wii Tennis (Trevor was the champion)
Mitch and Griffin being rockstars
Nicole and Josh after they just came out of the temple
The Twins
The McKnights
Jason's family
The whole family
The girls
The boys
Sisters
Temple Square
Grandpa and Shea again
Shea's smiles
Ricky rocking out
I am so excited to go home for Christmas this year. It's so fun to be away for so long and then be able to go home at this special time of the year and be with my family. This year, more than ever before, I've realized how special Christmas really is. These last couple of weeks I've been remembering all of the special memories of my childhood at Christmas and how special my parents always made it for us. This year we have a baby in our family and I can't wait to spend the holidays with her. The past few years have been a little boring ... there's just something about children and the spirit of Christmas that makes the holiday that much sweeter.
Last year at this time I was homesick and tired of the city but this year as I've walked the streets I've gained a greater appreciation for this amazing city. Last year I missed all the Christmas lights on everyone's homes but this year I've seen just how many amazing lights are all around me here in the city. I don't have a Christmas tree in my house, but everyday at lunch I can walk a few blocks and see the Rockefeller Christmas tree or walk down the street from our apartment to see the beautiful tree in the arch of Washington Square. I am so grateful to be living in this amazing city.
The one thing I hate about this time of year is that I have to enjoy all the sites and sounds of the city alone. Jason has been hard at work preparing for finals this past month and we haven't been able to do any Christmas shopping together. He works so hard and I am so proud of him and his dedication to his studies. I know someday it will all be worth it but right now I just don't think its fair. Most schools are done with finals the first of December but for some reason NYU Law thinks their students need to work right up until Christmas. Tomorrow Jason will turn in his last final and then we will have one day to enjoy the city together before we leave for home. Just one more year and then we will FINALLY get to enjoy the holidays like a normal couple ... I can't wait.
If we miss saying it to you before we leave or miss seeing you when we are home ... have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you are able to enjoy the sweet spirit of this time of the year with the ones you love.
I love Christmas and even though I'm trying to become a city girl ... I'll always be a country girl at heart. I thought I would share this with all of you. We all need a little reminders this time of year to help us remember what Christmas is all about.
This morning as I was leaving our building two firefighters walked in demanding they get into our basement. I thought it was a little strange and then I walked out to the street and realized something was going on. There were dozens of firetrucks lining the streets and a huge hole in the middle of the street with smoke coming out of it. After living here a while I wasn't really surprised so I continued down the street thinking nothing of it.
Shortly after I arrived at work I received a phone call from Jason informing me that there was some type of explosion/fire in the manhole and all electricity to our building had been shut off. This normally wouldn't be that big of a deal but finals are approaching and Jason hates to study at the library, so he was pretty upset when he realized in order to study from his computer he was going to have to leave the building.
Then about an our ago Jason frantically called telling me that our entire building was being evacuated and that he needed to know what I wanted because he was going to run in there and grab his books. At this point I got a little worried ... what the heck is going on? Obviously it is more than a small fire or they wouldn't be evacuating the building. After giving Jason my limited number of items (apparently the books are more important then my make-up) he was on his way back to the library. He now just sent me an email from NYU informing us of the situation and letting us know that they are hoping to get backup generators for the building by 9pm tonight to restore the power to our building, but if they are unable to do so there will be cots and linens provided for us at Coles (the gym) for the night. Yeah right ... I'm not sleeping on a cot at the stinking gym. Let's hope ConEd gets their crap together or I may be sleeping in the park.
I'll keep you posted ...
This is for all the book club girls.
Now remember - I haven't seen this video since high school and I guess I didn't completely understand what it was saying or notice the dancers ... so don't think I'm a bad person. Just skip ahead to the Sheena part.
My friend Melissa discovered this song and we used to get in my Jeep, roll down the windows and turn it up as loud as it could go while dragging main. We thought we were soooo cool.
You gotta love the 80's!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! This year I will be hosting Thanksgiving in my tiny apartment and I'm so excited. It's always hard for me to be away from my family but this year I am so lucky to be having dinner with our new friends Brent and Holly and our old friends Eddie and Michelle who are driving all the way from Ohio to be with us.
I am so thankful to be living in this wonderful city with my amazing husband. He studies so hard and I can't wait for the day when he will be able to see all the benefits from all of his hard work. I am thankful for our tiny apartment. I know most would go crazy in a studio apartment but I love that I can cook and Jason can study all in the same room. Whenever I want to talk he's always right there to listen and whenever I get mad he's still right there waiting for me to talk.
I am so thankful for my family, it's fun to talk to them each week and here all about what Shae is doing now. I love that they miss me so much that they shipped a smoked turkey all the way across the country just so I wouldn't miss out on our family tradition. And I am so thankful for my faith and the guidance it has given me since moving to NY. I don't know where I would be without the church in my life. I have made so many wonderful friends in this city who I know will always be there for me. In the words of Josh Groban "I have so much to be thankful for".
To help jump start the holidays out here in NY Jason and I went to The Grinch with some of our friends on Saturday. I loved it!! It was very short, no intermission, but the little Who costumes were amazing. The story was narrated by the older Max, the Grinch's dog, telling the story of the year the Grinch stole Christmas. My favorite was The Grinch, we brought along our trusty binoculars so we could get a better look, his costume and make-up were incredible, he looked almost identical to Jim Carey in the movie.
While Jason enjoyed the show, not nearly as much as I did, he confessed it would have been a lot more fun if we had kids. It looks like seeing The Grinch every year will not be added to our list of Holiday traditions.
After the show we all went backed to Kelli and Bryan's apartment and Megan and I were surprised with birthday balloons and a cake. Together we both blew out the candles and it was so fun to have a little party and be able to visit with friends, thank you Kimber and Kelli for arranging a lovely night!
To keep me in the holiday spirit I've added a list of my favorite Christmas songs for you to enjoy. So if your not ready for the holidays to begin I suggest you either turn down your volume or don't check this blog until you are.
Now that we've been in NY for over a year everything that we've done more that once starts to become a tradition and the first of many to come is our favorite ... the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Click here to read about our experience last year. I've posted a few pictures to make you feel like you didn't miss out on any of the fun.
It all started on Friday with my birthday. Jason started the morning off with scrambled eggs and toast for my birthday breakfast. A perfect start to a great day. Everyone at work was so nice. I didn't think any one would know it was my birthday but it turns out everyone knew. I received cards and birthday wishes from everyone, a birthday surprise from Holly when I came back from lunch and red velvet cake ... a great end to the work week.
After work Jason and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at Tavern on The Green (thank you Scott & Alys)that included the BEST pumpkin cheesecake I have ever had. From Tavern on The Green we went to The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine for a creepy Halloween Extravaganza & Procession of the Ghouls.
This cathedral was amazing, someone said it's the largest cathedral in the US so you can just imagine how large it is. When we walked in the lights were dimmed and there was fog everywhere making it extra creepy. Unfortunately my camera battery died so I can't show you how amazing it was but I can say that this was one of the coolest things I have ever done for Halloween.
It started out with a silent black and white film that we watched while listening to the sounds of the ancient organ playing in the background. After the film ended the room was instantly filled with fog and the procession of the ghouls began. Out from the fog came several ghouls dressed to the max. There costumes were amazing and their masks were so detailed. We arrived early enough to snag an isle seat so we were able to see each ghoul close-up.
After the procession we turned around to see the end of the parade and sitting right behind us was Ryan Gosling and Eli Roth. Of course Jason was the one who spotted them and only Jason would know who Eli Roth is (Director of Horror films) but everyone recognized Ryan Gosling. He was so nice and friendly to everyone but once again my camera battery was dead so my one chance to get a picture of Jason with a celebrity was lost.
As part of my birthday present from Jason I received a full body massage that he had scheduled for Saturday morning and it was amazing. After my massage it was time to prepare for the long awaited Halloween party. After all of our planning and stewing over costumes it was finally time to show everyone what we were made of.
After turning the Mercer party room into a frightful sight (thanks to Jill, Bryan and BreAnna) it was finally time for the fun to begin. Everyone looked amazing!! It was so fun to see how creative everyone is, I loved everyones costumes.
The best of the night was definitely BreAnna.
And of course everyones favorite SNL parody...
Here's a video that BreAnna made of everyones costumes, Enjoy!
Jason's little sister is getting married December 28th and she just sent us her engagement pictures so I thought I'd share. Congratulations you two ... we can't wait for your big day!!!
